Overview

BeeKeeper can write and print checks directly from your bank account. Each check you write automatically creates the matching journal entry, so your books stay balanced without any extra data entry — and every check keeps a complete audit history from creation through clearing.

You’ll need pre-printed check stock from your bank or a check supplier (the kind with your routing number, account number, and check numbers already printed). BeeKeeper prints the date, payee, amount, memo, and mailing address onto the stock.

Setting Up Check Printing

Check printing is enabled per bank account by an Admin or Bookkeeper:

1. Go to Bookkeeping and select the account
2. Click the Actions menu, then Check Settings
3. Click Edit Settings
4. Check Enable Check Printing
5. Choose your settings:
   • Check Layout: match your check stock — 3-up (3 checks per page) or Voucher (1 check + 2 stubs per page), the format used by most QuickBooks-compatible stock
   • Next Check Number: the number on the top sheet of your check stock
6. Click Save

Calibrating Your Printer

Every printer feeds paper slightly differently. Before printing real checks:

1. From Check Settings, click Print Calibration Page
2. Print it on plain paper at 100% (no scaling)
3. Hold the page against a blank check from your stock with the corners aligned
4. Each box marks where its field will print — if a box doesn’t sit on top of its pre-printed area, adjust the Horizontal Offset and Vertical Offset in Check Settings and reprint

Offsets are measured in points (1/72 inch). Positive values move the print right/down; negative values move it left/up.

Writing a Check

1. Go to Bookkeeping and select the account
2. Click Actions, then Checks to open your check register
3. Click Write Check
4. Fill in the check — a live preview updates as you type:
   • Pay to the order of: start typing to search your vendors, or enter any name. Selecting a vendor pre-fills the mailing address.
   • Date: defaults to today
   • Memo: optional note printed on the check
   • Mailing Address: optional — positioned to show through a standard #10 window envelope
5. Under Categories, choose the expense account and amount. Click Add Category to split the check across multiple accounts — the check total is the sum of the lines.
6. Click Save

The check is saved as a Draft and the journal entry is created automatically: each category line is recorded against its expense account and the total against your bank account. Nothing prints yet — drafts can still be edited.

Printing Checks

You can print one check or a whole batch at once:

1. From the check register, check the box next to each check to print
2. Click Print Selected
3. Confirm the Starting Check Number — the top sheet loaded in your printer should match this number; the rest are numbered in order
4. Load your check stock in the printer
5. Click Print Checks

A PDF opens in a new tab — print it from your browser at 100% (no scaling). Each check is assigned its number, marked Printed, and the check number is written onto the journal entry as its reference number.

Check Statuses

Once a check is printed, voided, or cleared it is locked and cannot be modified — this protects your audit trail.

Reprinting a Check

If a check printed badly (smudged, misaligned), you can print it again with the same number:

1. Open the check and find the Reprint section
2. Leave the void-and-reissue box unchecked
3. Optionally enter a reason (recorded in the audit history)
4. Click Reprint Check

Voiding and Reissuing

If a printed check is lost, damaged, or needs a new number:

1. Open the check and find the Reprint section
2. Check “Void this check number and reissue with a new number”
3. Enter a reason and click Reprint Check

The original check is voided (along with its journal entry), and a new draft is created with the same payee, amount, and categories, ready to print with the next number. Only Admins can void and reissue.

To void a check entirely without reissuing it, void the transaction from the account ledger — the check is voided automatically along with it.

If a Printer Jams

If the printer jams partway through a batch, get your check numbers back in sync with your physical stock:

1. Void and reissue any check whose printed sheet is unusable — open the check, check “Void this check number and reissue with a new number”, and print the fresh draft on the next good sheet (see Voiding and Reissuing above)
2. If you need to reset the Next Check Number so software numbering matches the next blank sheet in your printer, update it under Check Settings

If you’re unsure how to realign a batch, reach out to support and we’ll help you sort out the numbering.

Reconciliation

When you reconcile your bank statement and mark a printed check’s transaction as cleared, the check status updates to Cleared automatically, with the date recorded. See [Bank Reconciliation](reconciliation) for the full workflow.

Who Can Do What

Common Questions

What check stock should I buy? Standard pre-printed business check stock with your bank’s routing number, your account number, and sequential check numbers. Choose stock that matches your layout setting: 3-per-page, or voucher style (one check with two stubs). BeeKeeper does not print the bank routing/account line (MICR), so blank unprinted stock won’t work.

Why does the starting check number matter? Your stock is pre-numbered. BeeKeeper assigns numbers in software so they appear on the journal entry and in reports — the starting number tells it which physical sheet is on top so the two stay matched.

Can I edit a check after printing it? No — printed checks are locked. Use void and reissue to correct a mistake; the replacement draft is editable before you print it.

Does writing a check create the journal entry for me? Yes. The categories on the check become the journal entry line items, and the check total is credited against your bank account. When the check prints, its number becomes the entry’s reference number.

Can I split one check across several budget categories? Yes — click Add Category when writing the check and enter an amount for each account. The lines must add up to the check total.

The print is misaligned on my checks. Print a calibration page from Check Settings and adjust the horizontal/vertical offsets. Also make sure your browser’s print dialog is set to 100% scale with no “fit to page” option.

I don’t see the Checks option on my account. Check printing must be enabled in Check Settings for that account (Admin or Bookkeeper), and it’s only available on bank (asset) accounts.